Improvement in breeching-holders for harness



F. L. cH'UHicHLLL e H. c. BEACH.

improvement in Bre-echingHolders fo' Harness.v

Ptented May16, 1871.

z/nalergldg if ,564 Pfaff) I LLL/ww' UmuD-1 STATES PATENT "10mn-ErY FREDRIC L. CHURCHILL AND, nonni-nrc. BEACH, or .MINNEArOL'IsMiNH IMPROVMVENT IN BREECHlN-G-H-OLDERS FOR HARNESS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 114,925, dated May 16, 1871.

To all lwhom it may conce/m:

Be it known that we, FREDRIC L. CHURCH- rLL and ROBERT C. BEACH, both of the city of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented an implement or machine, called a Safety Breeching- Holder, for attaching that part of buggy-harness known as the breeching7 to the rest of the harness, by means of which the breechin g is detached from the harness whenever, through neglect, accident, or otherwise, the traces, so called, have been unfaste'ned or broken, and the animal moved forward, of which the following is a specification:

The iirst part of our invention relates to a hinged clasp, into which theY hip-strap,7 so called, is placed, and which is attached to the back-strap;7 so called, at such a point as it may be desirable to have the hip-strap cross the back-strap; the object of this part of our invention being to allow the hip-strap to escape from the clasp, and thus' detach the v breeching from the rest of the harness whenever th e traces have been unfastened or broken, and the animal moves forward while still at- 4 tached to the vehicle by the breeching-straps.

maybe attached to the back-strap.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the shell. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the holder Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the clasp raised, and showing also a sectional view of the depression or cavity in the under side of the bed-plate in which the spring plays. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the clasp. Fig. 5 is the under side of the bed-plate. Fig. 6 is the plan of the spring, and also elevation of the spring. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of parts of the backstrap and hip-strap, showing the shell and holder applied to the former and holding the latter in position.

B may represent the back-strap C C, parts of the crupper-strap, and H the hip-strap. k l is the bed-plate, k being the forward or front end. cis the opening through which the hipstrap passes. b is an elevation on the front end of `the bed-plate, having a slot or perpendicular opening, iu which the arm g of the clasp e is hinged. This elevation b resists all efforts of the hip-strap to escape by the front when the animal is moved backward or when descending a hill.

a is a shoulder on the bed-plate 7c Z, against which the hip-strap rests, and which serves to hold the hip-strap in place and prevent its constant pressure on the clasp e, and the consequent weakening of the spring z'.

d is a cavity or depression in the under side of the bed-plate k Z, in which the spring i is ,attached to the bed-plate lc l. The cavity d permits the spring fi to act freely when the bed-plate is attached to the harness. The arm g of the clasp e passes through the slot or opening in the elevation b, where it is hinged, the end of the arm g just entering the cavity d. The spring i, pressing on the end of the arm g in the cavity d, holds the clasp c closed with sufficient strength to hold the hip-strap in place under all circumstances, except when the traces have been unfastened or broken and the animal moved forward while still attached to the vehicle by thebreeching-straps; and when this occurs the spring z' is not of suf- `cient strength to hold the clasp e closed rmly enough to draw the vehicle, and consequently, when the power is applied by means of the breeching, the hip-strap presses against the clasp e, which lifts up under the pressure, and allows the hip-strap to escape, and thus detaches the breeching from the rest of the harness.

The shell, Fig. 1, is a parallelogram in shape, open at the ends, and a portion of the uppermost side removed, leaving projecting edges inward, and being of suflcient depth and width to t the back-strap snugly. The backstrap is pressed into this shell, and thehclder, Fig. 2, is slipped into the shell like a drawer from the front and on top of the back-strap.

We only use the shell to attach the holder to harness already manufactured. It may also be attached by riveting, screwing, wiring, or sewing, in which case, or either case, the shell is dispensed with.

The-holder, Fig. 2, and the shell, Fig. 1, 2. In combination with the hip-strap holder are of metal, and may be made to correspond represented, the shell shown in Fig. 1, for sein style to other mounting on the harness. curing it to the back-strap, as explained.

@NVZ dmm the harness' FHEDRIG L. CHURCHILL. 1. The spring-holder constructed substan- I ROBERT C' BEACH' tially as represented, and employed in eon- Witnesses:

neeton With the back-strap and hip-strap to WILLIAM S. EBERMAN,

secure the latter on the former, as explained. CHARLES L. PLUMMER. 

